Python Cutter
|-| MKI = |-| MKII = |Time (Research) = |Mineral Ore (Research) = |Time (Craft) = ? |Mineral Ore (Craft) = ? |Cores = 5 Cutter T5 |Ship Parts = 10 |Armaments = 2,048 Iron Star Armaments }} |-| MKIII = Mk II |Time (Research) = |Mineral Ore (Research) = |Time (Craft) = |Mineral Ore (Craft) = ? |Cores = 5 Cutter T5 |Ship Parts = 30 |Armaments = 2560 Iron Star Armaments }} |-| MKIV = Mk III |Time (Research) = |Mineral Ore (Research) = |Time (Craft) = |Mineral Ore (Craft) = ? |Cores = 5 Cutter T5 |Ship Parts = 90 |Armaments = 3,200 Iron Star Armaments }} |-| MKV = Mk IV |Time (Research) = |Mineral Ore (Research) = |Time (Craft) = |Mineral Ore (Craft) = ? |Cores = 5 Cutter T5 |Ship Parts = 270 |Armaments = 4,000 Iron Star Armaments }} General The Python Cutter is a high level, tier five Iron Star Company hull. It was first available in the event Emergence. It is fast and powerful, a common end-game ship among high level players. __TOC__ Strategy Advantages: It also has four armor slots instead of the usual two or three, which makes it more durable in combat. It has innate armor bonuses and weight reduction common to all Iron Star hulls giving a far more lastingness in combat especially when upgraded to MK V. It also has a higher mass than the Komodo Cutter, allowing the best of all weapons, armor and other various equipment in this ship. Because of its armor, it has a solid chance eliminating destroy opposing cutter fleets. It also stands a better chance against battleships and cruisers. It has a higher sector speed than most other ship classes, making it ideal pursuing other player fleets in sector space attempting to flee. A fleet of pythons are extremely powerful when they are fully upgraded to MK V and are a common favourite among the top players. Featuring up to 12,000 armor, combined with its speed, it is can be used to fight through almost any end-game level fleet. It is not uncommon to see a fleet of MK V Pythons destroy a fleet of MK V Apocrypha cruisers due to its extreme durability and access to unstable reactors. It can also reliably defeat MK V battleships, MK V frigates and MK V destroyers as well as overwhelm MK V Komodo and Gharial variants of the cutter since those versions have significantly less armor. Disadvantages: Pythons has only three weapon slots making it less potent than the Gharial cutter and Komodo cutter. However, Pythons are considered superior as they are able to survive longer and hence dish out more damage over their lifetime in battle. Pythons only have one special slot. Placing a Fusion thruster III is strongly recommended as cutter's default maneuverability are sluggish. Therefore, Pythons cannot have weapon specials like Focused Optics or Anti-Matter Warheads. While Pythons when fully upgraded to MK V can challenge any end-game fleet. Doing so will usually result in your Python fleet sustaining significant damages. This is due to the fact that Pythons are usually short ranged and have one shield slot. Obtaining crafting materials for the Python is rather difficult in comparison to the Gharial and Komodo cutters as the supply run fleets are strong. Pythons, even though the bonus armor does not add extra repair time, they have more armor slots and hence, an overall higher repair time in comparison to other cutters when destroyed. Setup Pythons should equip the best armor available to take as much advantage of the armor innate bonuses. Use Skirmish armor III over Zynthium V unless you intend to use your Pythons to attack bases frequently. Weapons such as Burst rays, Impulse beams, Aurora rays or a mixture of them are common among most Python cutters. Strongly recommended to use an unstable reactor in the special slot. This is essential if you are hunting battleships with your Python cutters. Using a Midgard carrier or a Ragnarok carrier is strong recommended as well if you intend on hunting battleships, end-game battleships with stasis weapons can destroy pythons easily if they lack thrusters and an agility field. Keep in mind, Pythons that are escorted with a carrier may find that they have to abandon their carrier or fight head on when facing an enemy cruiser fleet that has been upgraded to MK IV+ Counters Pythons that have not been upgraded are rather weak in comparison to ones that are upgraded to MK V and can be destroyed by tier III ships with mass equal or greater than Revelation cruisers. If they are equipped with Unstable reactors, your ships should do whatever it takes engage at medium range. A fleet of MK IV Revelation cruisers may not be able to reliably defeat a fleet of solidly equipped MK V Pythons. Use MK V Apocrypha cruisers equipped with Reverb ray or SICO missiles with Anti-Matter warhead can defeat Pythons, since cutter fleets tend to pack close together, your cruisers will inflict bonus damage from the Reverb ray's bounce or the splash damage of SICO missiles. Aurora rays, Manifold missiles and Burst rays are also powerful weapons against Python cutters if equipped on MK V cruisers. Use of energy resistors can make a significant different in combat against Pythons. Pythons are almost always equipped with energy weapons. Python fleets without an agility field and a competent pilot can be easily destroyed by tier IV+ battleships equipped with many stasis weapons. Trivia * The Python cutter essentially sacrifices damage for increased sector speed and armor, if comparing it to the Komodo cutter. * The specifications to this ship, shown in the image below, were leaked nearly two weeks before the event started. The leaked statistics turned out to be accurate. * The Python cutter has a slower maximum speed, but however accelerates to maximum speed much faster, in about a second. Other cutters could take about 3 seconds, which gives the Python cutter a head start in combat. This has since been changed and Python cutters have the same maneuverability as all other cutters. * Like all cutters, the Python cutter is named after a reptile. The python is a non-venomous genus of snake known for strangling its prey. Gallery Python specs in chinese.jpg|The Python Cutter's leaked specs in Chinese. Python Cutter blueprint.jpg|Python Cutter blueprint Python Cutter.jpg|Old Python cutter model Python Build.jpg|A Python Cutter in the ship factory, loaded with Burst rays for close-quarters combat. Python_1.png|Python cutters showdown Python_2.png|Looks like they are going after each other's carriers instead... Python_7.png|Python cutters in combat and winning against a fleet of cruisers. Python_9.png|Python cutter destroying a Ragnarok carrier Python_5.png|Python cutters ramming into a fleet of Revelation cruisers Python_10.png|Python cutters destroying a bridge Category:Vega Conflict Category:Hulls Category:Event Prizes Category:Cutters